DAYTON, OHIO – A 37-yard touchdown pass from Steve Valentino to Luke Bellman in the left corner of the endzone with one second remaining lifted co-league leader Dayton to a 31-25 Pioneer Football League victory over Drake at Welcome Stadium Saturday (Nov. 6).

The Bulldogs saw their record fall to 6-4 overall and 5-2 in the Pioneer Football League, while the Flyers improved to 9-1 and 7-0 in league play to stay tied with Jacksonville.

"I'm still in shock to be honest with you," said Drake head football coach Chris Creighton. "I'm really proud of our team, but our guys are hurting right now. Credit Valentino (Dayton quarterback Steve). He is a winner and gave his team a chance to win the game at the end."

Drake was seemingly on the verge of its first road victory against Dayton since 2006 as the Bulldogs assumed a 25-24 lead with 1:22 left in the fourth quarter on a 27-yard field goal by senior Billy Janssen (Round Lake Beach, Ill./Carmel Catholic). The field goal capped a rally from a 24-14 deficit.

A key fourth-and-one with the ball at Drake's own 25-yard line was converted as second effort pushed sophomore reserve quarterback Cody Seeger (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) to a critical two-yard run to keep the Bulldogs' drive alive.

The drive started with 7:03 remaining and was highlighted by several strong runs by redshirt junior Tom Kostek (West Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) who totaled 27 yards in the march.

"Cody (Seeger) kept the drive alive," Creighton added. "I though the field goal would win the game right there for us. But we had just a little too much time left on the clock and Dayton made the plays."

Drake swarmed defensively against Valentino in the final drive and nearly corralled him on the final play, but came up short.

Coming in for injured starting quarterback Mike Piatkowski (Wheaton, Ill.), Seeger sparked Drake, delivering a 58-yard touchdown strike to senior Stephen Platek (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hershey) to cut the deficit to 24-22 with 6:03 remaining in the third quarter. The two-point conversion failed for the Bulldogs.

Fifth-year senior All-American defensive end Dain Taylor (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) played his best game in a Drake uniform, finishing with a career-high 12 tackles, including 3.5 quarterback sacks, while recording a safety and blocking a field goal.

I'm so proud of our defense," said Creighton. "They have been the foundation since I've been here - led by our fifth year seniors up front on the line. I wanted nothing more for those guys to enjoy a win today."

The Flyers struck first in the game with Nick Glavin connecting on a 40-yard field goal with 9:12 left on the first-quarter clock to take a 3-0 lead.

After a three-and-out by Drake, the Flyers attempted a 36-yard field goal that was blocked by Taylor.

On the first play after the block, Piatkowski delivered a 46-yard strike down the sideline to sophomore Joey Orlando (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South) to set up the Bulldogs at the Dayton 34-yard line.

The Bulldogs capitalized on the momentum shift as Piatkowski hit Orlando on a 15-yard strike off a post-corner move for a touchdown with 2:52 left in the quarter to give Drake a 7-3 advantage.

Valentino capped an 11-play 58-yard drive placing the Flyers back in front, 10-7, with a three-yard scamper with 12:24 left before halftime.

Drake moved the ball after the touchdown on a 12-play, 42-yard drive but Janssen came up short of squaring the game at 10, missing wide left on a 41-yard field goal.

On the fifth play of the Flyers' ensuing drive, Drake senior cornerback Matt Hancock (Kansas City, Mo./Raytown South) stepped in front of the Valentino pass and intercepted the throw, returning it for a 46-yard touchdown to place Drake in front 14-10 with 5:51 left before halftime.

The interception was the 10th of the season for the Bulldogs and fifth returned for a touchdown, including the fourth in the last three games.

A 10-play, 68-yard drive by Dayton was capped by Valentino's one-yard rush into the endzone to give the Flyers a 17-14 advantage at the half.

Orlando led Drake with five receptions for 98 yards, while Platek had four catches totaling 98 yards. Sophomore Trey Morse (Elmo, Texas) rushed for a game-high 46 yards on 10 carries for the Bulldogs.

Dayton extended the margin to 24-14 with a four-play, 67-yard drive to start the second half, capped by a 23-yard strike from Valentino to Anthony Papp.

A third-and seven-play at the 10-yard line for Dayton resulted in Taylor sacking Valentino in the endzone for the Bulldog safety with 11:15 left in the third quarter to pull Drake within 24-16. The sack was the second of the game for Taylor.

Sophomore linebacker Seth Hedman (Tulsa, Okla.) and fifth-year senior linebacker Ben Morrison (Long Grove, Ill.) added eight tackles apiece for the Bulldogs.

Drake will close out the season, playing host to Butler next Saturday in a 1 p.m. kickoff.